There are No Statues Erected of the Critics

We all have critics and we have all been critics. We have all sat around and talked about others who are “getting it done” and found ways to “punch bullet holes” in what they are doing. It’s so much easier to sit around and complain, be a pessimist, be negative, and be a critic rather than being fanatically positive, a supportive voice, and an eternal optimist.

This last week, we had a critic have some very negative things to say about a project we are doing, and I was reminded of these things we are talking on this week. It reminded me of when I have always told our vets, “The more you do, the more others will have to say about it. The more others will want to see you fail. The more chaos you will create.”

These things will happen, and when they do, people often fold, and after two or three negative events we begin to think and ask ourselves questions like, “Why am I doing all this for all these people to try and tear us down?” or “Is this all really worth it?” And many fold!

But this post today, this post today is to give you motivation and inspiration to keep going after great ideas, pursuing your passions, working positively to make a difference in your part of the world, to be the very best version of you, to raise the bar of your personal and professional excellence, and expect more of yourself, regardless of your critics! Don’t worry about them!

My mom had more critics than you can count over the course of a 40 year teaching career, as you can imagine some of the crazy parents she dealt with! (you can if you’re a teacher!) My dad had more critics over the course of his farming and banking career given his high level of generosity! It’s just life and how it is and how it will always be, and as you can tell by the media, these critics are only getting worse!

So, as you move forward, do so knowing you will disrupt normal, you will create discomfort for others, you will potentially make people fearful of you and your vision, and the natural human response is to go back to “comfort”, and that usually is where the critics, the negativity, and the pessimists rear their heads and begin to fire, some to your face, and many behind the scenes.

For every one person that is supportive of you and your project, your plan, your vision, there will be 100 against you. And some critics are worth listening to, but most aren’t. And for those of us that have been critics before, me included, we must ask ourselves, how can we be a positive voice through constructive criticism, not a negative voice through destructive criticism? This is key for all of us!

So for today, move forward! Get it done! Quit worrying about what others will think! We all do, and that worry often prevents us from pursuing and bringing to life our great ideas, our long visions, our deep and fruitful thoughts! Please remember, “There are no statues erected of the critics! Fight like hell to move forward and grit your teeth because it’s gonna hurt sometimes! Happy Leadership Thursday! #KeepAtIt #PassionForPeople #ChangingLives

If music is in your genes like me because music and song often provide the needed “juice” to get it done, here is a song to match the post, We Won’t Be Shaken by Building 429.